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Aside from my family, there is no one in this room who knew my Dad before last year so I thought I would take a few minutes to introduce you.

Frank McDermott was actually born Francis, but everyone called him Frank or Frankie. In his 50’s he decided that he had enough of signing his name on official documents as Francis so he legally changed his name to Frank. He was just very practical that way.

I loved my nanny so much. She was warm and cozy and always smelled like the perfect mix of flowers and ivory soap. She was constantly feeding me, hugging me and making sure I was warm (socks were required even in the middle of July). She was classy and reserved and beautifully dressed. She was sneaky too. She would slip me $100 bills whenever I was home from college and would make me promise not to tell anyone. She would tell my brother and I both separately that we were her favorite grandchild but would always later deny it when we tried to make her choose.

My husband’s paternal grandparents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 after years of exhibiting signs. More than losing their home and their independence, they lost themselves piece-by-piece as our family looked on, aching to stop the process. Alzheimer’s is often called a “family disease,” and I can attest to the truth of this label—Alzheimer’s has devastated our family. Last year, I was looking for ways to get active and participated in The Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. With the support of friends and family, I was able